Huntley Project head coach Iona Stookey says she's one of the most superstitious people you'd ever meet.
It's no surprise the legendary coach was a bit nervous ahead of the Red Devils' State B title match against Jefferson, but that didn't last long. The Red Devils swept Jefferson to give Stookey her 13th state volleyball title, passing friend and longtime Billings Senior coach Jeff Carroll for the most in Montana history.
"I loved sharing that with Jeff. I wouldn’t be where I was at without him. He’s a great friend of mine. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet," Stookey said. "My intention was never to beat Jeff. In fact, number 13 is my most unlucky number. I’m the most superstitious person. This probably sounds crazy, but this is the 13th year in a row on Nov. 13 and we just won our 13th state championship. I don’t have the number 13 in any of my uniforms. I was really stressed out about that last night. But we did it. Maybe I like 13 a little bit more now.”
Project was dominant in its 25-15, 25-17, 25-20 sweep of Jefferson. Macee Murphy had 34 assists, spreading the ball around to several Red Devils. Josie Hasler had 15 kills to lead all players, while teammates Greta Peterson (12) and Cerra Oblander (11) combined to match Jefferson's team total of 23.
As for when Project gets to work on title No. 14?
"I'm going to enjoy this one (Saturday), but probably (Sunday)," Stookey laughed.
